Apparatus and process for shoring packages in shipping compartments



Sept. 2, 1969 Filed Jan. 25, 1967 L. E. LATTER APP RATUS AND PROCESS FORSHORING PACKAGES IN SHIPPING COMPARTMENTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 LIONEL E.LETTER INVENTQR 9 gy F R 1!! DPPLIMNT Sept. 2, 1969 E, LATTER 3,464,367

APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR SHORING PACKAGES IN SHIPPING COMPARTMENTSFiled Jan. 25, 1967 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 LJ NEL E. LMTEQ INVENT K.

pt 2, 1969 L. E. LATTER APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR SHORING PACKAGES INSHIPPING COMPARTMENTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 25, 1967 3,464,367APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR SHORING PACKAGES IN SHIPPlNG COMPARTMENTSLionel E. Latter, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, assignor to CanadianInternational Paper Company, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a corporation ofQuebec Filed Jan. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 611,666 Int. Cl. B61d 45/00; B65d/58 US. Cl. 105-369 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dunnage orpackage shoring assembly for fittin between stacked shipping packagesstored in a transportation vehicle, such as a freight car. One part ofthe assembly is a relatively long narrow cap or open-sided box ofcorrugated board with parallel protruding fiaps along the closed sidefor insertion between two shipping packages. The other part is anaccordion folded insertable pad also of corrugated board for fittinginto the open side of the box. The insert is placed within the cap andbetween the cap and a car wall or between two caps associated withspaced stacks of packages.

Background of invention This invention is in the category of loadbracing for vehicles, particularly freight cars, although large trucksare also contemplated as well as ships holds, both ocean and air, andother carrier containers.

In most cases a cargo of discrete elements does not completely fill thefreight space so some kind of bracing means is required. If the cargo ispackaged, package shoring members or dunnage devices are used. In thepast, this dunnage has been mostly of wood such as timber braces,plywood pads, etc. The braces usually require nailing into frames andlater dismantling as part of the unloading procedures.

Summary In order to overcome the difficulties attendant upon usingwooded shoring or dunnage, it is proposed to make the dunnage infittable portions of corrugated fiberboard, corrugated cardboard, orother strong and relatively rigid but lightweight material. Accordingly,the portions designed to fit against the load are open-ended boxes orcaps having protruding flaps or fins for insertion between packages ofmerchandise. Each cap houses the end of an accordion folded pad offiberboard or the like. If the package is situated near the freight carwall, the'pad fits against the wall. If, on the other hand, the dunnageis between two stacks of packages, there is a cap with its fins insertedbetween each stack with a pad fitted between them with its ends in theiropen sides.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the ensuingparticular disclosure of one of its embodiments, as illustrated by theappended drawing.

Brief description of drawing FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a completedunnage assembly;

FIG. 2 shows a cap member in perspective from the flap viewpoint;

FIG. 3 shows in perspective a pad folded for insertion into a cap orcaps;

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation showing the dunnage assembly in placebetween shipping packages and also the use of one cap and pad between apackage and the car Wall;

United States Patent 0 3,464,367 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 FIG. 5 shows ina section of a freight car how the assemblies may be used horizontally;

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 5 showing the use of the dunnage devicesvertically; and

FIG. 7 is a developed view of a cap.

Description of preferred embodiment As shown in FIG. 1, the end boxes orcaps 10 and 11 are fitted over the respective ends of the accordionpleated pad 12. Each box has protruding flaps or fins 13 and 14,respectively. The boxes may be made of corrugated fiberboard andadvantageously are of such material.

As may be better seen in FIG. 2, the box has locking tabs 15 and 16 onits flap side. The corrugations of the pad shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 areparallel to the fold lines of the accordion folds which direction may bedesignated as pad length. The locking tabs 15 and 16 have reduced endportions 15-01 and 16-a that are inserted in adjacent slots 17 and 18,respectively, in the box side pieces. The flaps such as 14 in FIG. 2 arein paralleled face to face relation and in use are held thus by pressurefrom the package walls between which they are inserted. This tab anddual flap construction plus the accordion-pleated construction of thepad or spacer assures a firm bracing member when in use. The boxes aremade from a one piece blank as shown in FIG. 7 in which the referencecharacters are for cap 11 as in FIG. 2. The caps 10 and 11 have one sideseam which is secured by means of suitable adhesive tapes 19 and 20.

The fractional view of FIG. 4 shows six packages 20-1 to 20-6 arrangedin groups of four and two each in tiers and in rows. The group of fourhas a cap 11 with its flaps 14 between the upper carton 20-1 and thelower one 20-3. The pad 12 is nested in the box or cap 11 and restsagainst the side wall 21 of, say, a freight car.

Cartons 20-2 and 20-4 are stacked and rest respectively against cartons20-1 and 20-3. This makes a tier and row combination which obviously maybe repeated along the length of the car. The flaps 13 of a cap 10 aresandwiched between the cartons 20-2 and 204. One end of the pad 12 fitswithin the cap 10 and the other end within the cap 11. The flaps 14 ofthe cap 11 fits between the upper and lower cartons 20-5 and 20-6. Onlytwo dunnage devices have been shown in FIG. 4, but obviously more may beused as required.

Because the pads may be trimmed 01f, different spacings between shippingpackages may be accommodated. Thus a supply of caps of a given size maybe used with pads of some maximum length that can be trimmed in lengthto fit various spacings.

The arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5 shows the dunnage devices placedhorizontally with the flaps between upper and lower packages on oppositesides of the space between them.

The illustration of vertical orientation of the devices in FIG. 6 iswith the row of packages on the viewers side removed. The back fins ofthe dunnage devices are 'between laterally spaced packages and the frontfins are shown on the face of the end caps.

It may be in some instances, due to the distribution of packages in ashipping compartment, that both vertical and horizontal orientation maybe used.

Sometimes the packages will be placed against the compartment wall andno dunnage used around the periphery of the package array. In this caseonly double cap devices would be used between suitable package groups.

The foregoing description of a particular embodiment of the invention isnot intended to limit the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A dunnage device for bracing packages against horizontal movementWithin a shipping compartment, said dunnage device including anelongated box of fiberboard having one long closed face, an oppositeopen face, opposed sidewalls and opposed end walls, said closed face,said side walls and said end walls forming a cavity, an accordian foldedfiberboard panel having one of its ends inserted into said cavitythrough said open face and into contact with the inner surface of saidclosed face, said fiberboard panel projecting at its other end from saidopen face of said fiberboard box, each of said side walls having afolded portion connected to said side wall along a first fold line atthe edge of said side wall at said closed face, the folded portions ofsaid side walls forming said closed face, at least one of said foldedportions having a flap connected to said one of said folded portionsalong a second fold line substantially parallel to said first fold lineand extending outwardly from said closed face in a direction opposite tosaid cavity, each of said end walls having a locking tab connected tosaid end wall along a fold line at the edge of said end wall at saidclosed face, each of said tabs having a slot for receiving saidoutwardly extending flap, a reduced portion at the end of said lockingtab and slot means in said folded portions for receiving said reducedportion at the end of said locking tab for locking said locking tab,said flap and said folded portions, in position.

2. A dunnage device as in claim 1 in which each of said folded portionsinclude a flap, said flaps when folded and locked in said slot in saidlocking tab being in faceto-face contact and extending outwardly fromsaid closed face in a direction opposite to said cavity.

3. A dunnage device as in claim 1 in which said elongated box offiberboard and said fiberboard panel are corrugated fiberboard.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,224,432 12/ 1940 Hoak 105-3672,475,719 7/ 1949 Pierce 105-369 2,742,219 4/ 1956 Van Antwerpen 229l42,894,461 7/1959 Nagler 105-367 DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 22914

